BLOWS UP Synonyms: 116 Similar and Opposite Words

blows up

verb

present tense third-person singular of blow up

as in has a fit

to become very angry she blew up at everybody after a very long and very bad day

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in explodes

to break open or into pieces usually because of internal pressure the building blew up because of a gas leak

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as in shatters

to cause to break open or into pieces by or as if by an explosive blew up the biggest rocks and then cleared them away

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as in cracks up

to praise or publicize lavishly and often excessively the advertisement blows the new soda up to the point where I half expected to be transported to a higher level of consciousness

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blows up Sharma’s unenviable job is to trim the fat before this whole thing blows up. — Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 July 2026 Walter recommends that budding creators parse through their analytics when a video blows up—and warns not to pop the champagne too fast. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 11 May 2026 As one pipe blows up under their feet, two mercs go motionless and begin to drift away into the void. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 27 Apr. 2026 Think about movements that happen when a person blows up a balloon. — Matt Parrott, Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2026 Hunter consistently blows up running plays, ripping right through the interior of college offensive lines. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 19 Apr. 2026 For example, his steady job working in a bookstore blows up when it is set on fire and destroyed by those bullies ruling the neighborhood. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 Mar. 2026 Tommy plants the warehouse bomb that blows up the fake British currency. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026 The lead blows up, the other team’s fans laugh, roll closing credits. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blows up

Verb

Security snarls The TSA PreCheck line at terminal B in LaGuardia Airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, on March 27, 2026.

— Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 28 Mar. 2026
Beyond the red tape that snarls any new apartment, condominiums confront an additional hurdle.

— M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Definition of snarls

Verb

New Glenn explodes on launch pad in Florida The news comes about a month after the New Glenn rocket exploded in Florida, dealing severe damage to the surrounding infrastructure in Cape Canaveral.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 8 July 2026
When the price of doing something collapses, the volume of it explodes, and that is the real news in JADEPUFFER.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of explodes

Verb

Continue reading … PITCH REPORT — Cristiano Ronaldo shatters 2 all-time records to help Portugal beat Croatia at World Cup.

— , FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026
But now a new ultralight player shatters the silence with an impressive solo tent that not only drops in right around 2 lb (907 oz) but does it at half the price of some of the competition.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 June 2026

Definition of shatters

Verb

If the ammunition detonates after penetration, the explosion is directed away from the crew compartment, significantly improving the crew’s chances of survival.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026
After the pass comes to Bridges, who detonates passersby at the basket regularly, White goes straight up, though with a little more oomph than usual.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Definition of detonates

Verb

Following the Oklahoma style, the team smashes Vidalia onions directly into the beef, making the patties superthin, then tops them with brown mustard, American cheese and pickles.

— Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
Pele controls the ball in the penalty area with his thigh, flips it over the head of the defender and smashes it past a helpless Kalle Svensson.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026

Definition of smashes

Verb

This development means Californians will be able to check out a state parks pass for free at their local library for the foreseeable future, unless a governor or the Legislature announces otherwise.

— Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Decades later, Guinevere brings out her ghostwritten memoir at the exact moment her estranged sibling announces an art installation called Mother.

— Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026